Dump Puckett?

[cult24]

I've completed the first week of the season and so far am having a team I assumed would dominate do nothing but sputter to a 5-10 record. :shock: I play small ball in Comiskey and have a very solid defensive lineup that steals, hits for average and shouldn't strike out much.

I've identified two major culprits: Guidry & Puckett. With the many postings about Guidry being an underperformer, I decided to cut bait early in the season and pick up Darwin & Dennis Leonard as thrifty options. Now without all of that cash invested in one shaky arm, I am willing to give my new staff some time. Here's my team now...

[b:cd1a47d0c3]SPs[/b:cd1a47d0c3]: Carlton, B. Smith, Darwin, Leonard, Haas

[b:cd1a47d0c3]RPs[/b:cd1a47d0c3]: Horton, Guante, Parrett, Dayley, Moore, Russell, Bedrosian

[b:cd1a47d0c3]Lineup[/b:cd1a47d0c3]: C: Boone, 1B: Joyner, 2B: Franco, SS: Fernandez, 3B: Pendleton, LF: Rickey, CF: Puckett, RF: Dawson, DH: Buckner

[b:cd1a47d0c3]Bench[/b:cd1a47d0c3]: Law, Flynn, G. Iorg, Wathan & Chili

[url]http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/80s/team/team_other.html?user_id=65519&stats=sim[/url]

As for offense, I have been hesitant to make swift changes and opted instead for changing my batting order. However, I am finding it hard to hide a Kirby Puckett who is hitting like Eddie Gaedel, even in the 8 slot. After 15 games, here is his line...

> .145 (9 for 62), 3 RBI, 0 HR, 4 R, 6 BB, 2 DB, & 10 SO :cry:

He's equally weak vs. Lefties and Righties. Any recommendations? What are the chances he will finish the season strong?[/url]

[cplake]

You just simply should never do this. Especially on a small ball team. You have only played 15 games. It's WAY too early to tell which card he has and it shouldn't matter since all are keepers. Since his worst year is .288, you can probably expect him to hit around .300 the remainder of the year. He is probably rolling the pitchers card a little more often than it should. Over time this evens out to 50-50.

Guidry is another story. Keep an eye on him. 4-5 starts is a little too early to make a decision. Lefties seem to underperform in the btt80s set because of the abundant supply of lefty killers (Schmidt, Oglivie, etc.).

Good luck.

[Minoso Express]

Puckett underperformed for me in the first week of my btt80s league. Now at the end of week three, he's batting .336, absolutely killing lefties, .506 slugging and .367 OBS. 16 doubles, 7 HRs, 31 RBIs-- and if the rest of my hitting team weren't so shaky, he'd be doing even better. Be patient with him; he'll deliver. Bat him third and watch him go. I'm in Dodger Stadium, btw.

[AdamPhoenix]

I agree with cpl5454. There are some guys you NEVER EVER NEVER drop. As for a pitcher, Clemens falls in this category, and among hitters (and of course there are others) Puckett definitely falls in this category.

I am currently playing in a league wherre I have the Astrodome. Defeinitely not a hitters park, and Puckett started off horribly and i'm talking through the first 25-30 games. Now we're through 78 games, and his average and numbers have risen dramatically, which means over the last 40 games he has risen even more than that.

So, my suggestion is to keep Puckett...not to mention, he wass probably the most underrated ballplayers of his time.

BTW...You are using a 27 man roster with 12 pitchers and 15 hitters. Are you in a league where you have to have a 27 man roster? If not, most people around here use either 10 or 11 pitchers and 13 hitters (if it is a DH league). This will free up some of your cash to improve in other areas.

[cult24]

Thanks guys. I'm gonna stick it out with Puckett.

Yes, it is a DH league and I'm now carrying 14 bats & 12 pitchers b/c I just turned Guidry into 2 inexpensive arms (Darwin & Leonard). This is my first attempt at this, but I'm feeling that the money I've recouped from cutting Guidry may be better spent on upgrading Chili Davis. I need some HRs.

[nycalderon]

I hate to disagree but I don't think that 1985 card is worth 7.24 M. I have never had Puckett and I know he can be great.... and I'm also certain that he has cards that can take a while to reveal themselves (ie... take time to play well) but if you KNOW you have the 1985 card I believe you have to seriously think about dropping him. 18 games into the season, with no injury reveal, is too little evidence to make that determination, however.

Mind you, it depends at what stage of the season that you make the determination that you have his worst card. Sometimes, if your team is going well and there are no other good options for CF (and you need a good fielding CF, esp. in the astrodome) it will be best to keep him.

By the way I don't think Puckett was an underrated player for the era. He was a beloved player who I think was overrated a little bit. Great for sure... but Henderson and Raines were both better than Kirby.

[AdamPhoenix]

[quote:bb594915f1="nycalderon"]By the way I don't think Puckett was an underrated player for the era. He was a beloved player who I think was overrated a little bit. Great for sure... but Henderson and Raines were both better than Kirby.[/quote:bb594915f1]

Well I can tell you growing up in NY (as by your name appears as though you might have as well) in the 1980s and 1990s, being that it was one of the biggest markets, you never really about Kirby Puckett. He played in a small market and accolades were not readily well known outside of the Midwest.

[nycalderon]

Adam...

I'll have to disagree with you there... As a NYer and a big baseball fan, I remember a lot of praise for Kirby during his career, especially when the Twinkies won the 87 and 91 WS. And as a Yankee fan I watched him play against the Bombers. He was a great player.

[KingLouie]

I wouldn't be too quick to drop him, but if I were close to certain he was in his "worst" year below, I think I'd very much consider reinvesting sometime before the 95 percent cutoff in a player with $7+ million dollar price tag. Just my two cents.

HR. BA SLG OPP SLG
4 .288 .385 . 328 .713 5L

[Outta Leftfield]

I would have to agree that the worst year is a definite drop. Not only is the OPS low for a 7M+ player, but the 5L means he'll really only hit lefties and he'll see comparatively few LHP in the 80s. The defense is great, but not 7.24M great.

On the other hand, I'd want to see some pretty clear evidence he was in his bad year before I dropped him, because all of the other years are keepers. Also, I remember him as a much praised player in his own time, both for his talents and his exuberant style of play. He was a first ballot HOFer despite a relatively short career, and that suggests a man whose talents were recognized.

BTW, this raises the question of which players truly are undroppable regardless of year. I think I'll start a thread to that effect, since it might produce some lively discussion.... :wink: